30th Charming Vietnam set for early next year in HCM City

Miss Vietnam 2010 and fashion designer Ngoc Han will introduce her latest collections of Ao dai (Vietnam’s traditional long dress) at the 30th Charming Vietnam art program slated for January 5, 2019 in Ho Chi Minh City.

The information was released at a meeting to introduce the art program ‘Charming Vietnam’ in HCM City on December 21.

On the program are great arts, music performances and fashion shows with the participation of popular artists such as Le Quyen, Phuong Thanh, Thu Minh, Duc Tuan, Phuong Vy, Uyen Linh, QuocThien, Giang Hong Ngoc, and Vo Ha Tram.

The most anticipated moment would be the Hanoi’s fashion designer Ngoc Han introducing her new Ao Dai collection with spring patterns to welcome the New Year 2019.

Charming Vietnam has been organized by Thanh Nien Media Corporation since 1994. The program aims to raise funds for Nguyen Thai Binh scholarship and Vietnamese Seed Fund to help disadvantaged students. This year's program will present 2,000 tickets to special gala guests. 

Teleconference focuses on efforts to find, identify martyrs’ remains

A national teleconference was held in Hanoi on December 21 to review the implementation of a project on searching and repatriating martyrs’ remains during 2016 -2018 and another project on identifying remains that lacked information.

tAccording to a report from the Ministry of National Defence, between 2016 and 2018, it had worked with the Ministry of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs (MoLISA) to transfer 1.9 million documents on martyrs to the Ministry of Information and Communications to build a database for the search and identification work. The MoLISA have collaborated with the Vietnam Post Corporation to design and operate an information portal on martyrs, graves, and cemeteries.

During the period, 5,885 sets of remains have been found, of which, 2,670 were unearthed in Vietnam, 854 in Laos, and 2,362 in Cambodia. Since 2017, 284 sets of remains have been verified and 475 others martyrs have been identified via DNA tests.

The implementation of the two projects has faced various difficulties, including increasing scarcity of information about martyrs and their families, the large number of remains in needed of finding or identifying, and mistakes in information management activities.

The Ministry of National Defence said it will work to basically complete a national database on martyrs, their families, graves, and cemeteries, as well as searching maps at commune, district, and provincial levels nationwide. The search campaigns in Cambodia and Laos will continue to be carried out, it added.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam lauded the effective coordination of agencies involved in carrying out the two projects.

He ordered the Ministry of National Defence to direct relevant agencies to speed up the search for remains and defuse leftover bombs at key locations, submit research to the Government on an identification process for remains that lack information, and complete the searching maps.
Eight fishermen rescued at sea off the coast of Thua Thien Hue

A ship coded SAR412 that belongs to the Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre Vietnam (MRCC) rescued a stranded ship coded DNa90946 in Thua Thien Hue province.

On the morning of December 22 the ship, along with all eight crew members, was brought to shore safely.

The MRCC received a distress call from a ship captained by Nguyen Mo from Son Tra district in distress in the waters off Thua Thien Hue province on December 21.

The ship’s crew members had been fishing off the coast when the ship’s engine had broken down.

The crew members were unable to send out an SOS distress signal as the ship’s power source had run out. The ship was reported to be stranded in the area with thundershowers and had then drifted east, losing contact with the mainland.

The MRCC dispatched the ship SAR274 to initiate a search for the stranded vessel at 19:00 on December 21. On the morning of December 22, all crew members of the fishing boat were found safely and brought aboard the rescue ship. The fishing vessel DNa9046 was also towed safely to port.

eight fishermen rescued at sea off the coast of thua thien hue hinh 2 Earlier, a ship coded SAR411 that also belongs to the MRCC also rescued successfully a ship along with five crew members in the waters of Da Nang. 

HCM City has first public-private partnership hospital

Gia An 115 Hospital – the first health care facility constructed in the form of public-private partnership (PPP) in HCM City – was inaugurated on Saturday.

Gia An 115 Hospital – the first health care facility constructed in the form of public-private partnership (PPP) in HCM City – was inaugurated on Saturday.

The hospital, a joint effort of Hoa Lâm Group and People’s 115 Hospital, has 367 patient beds and 60 check-up rooms in a 10-storey building along with medical equipment meeting international standards.

Licensed to operate from August 31, 2018, Gia An 115 is a general hospital with specialised departments such as cardiology, neurology and stroke, endocrinology, physical therapy, and rehabilitation services.

The hospital has the professional support from People’s 115 Hospital with the consultation from leading experts and doctors in many fields.

Gia An 115 Hospital is the second facility in the International Hi-tech Healthcare Park of Hoa Lâm Shangri-La, a healthcare complex founded in 2008 with more than 1,700 inpatient beds. The complex is expected to host six general and specialised hospitals, as well as auxiliary facilities.

Addressing the inauguration ceremony, Nguyễn Tấn Bỉnh, director of the HCM City Department of Health, said this is the first time a PPP hospital has been built in the city, marking a fruitful cooperation between a public hospital and a private business, he noted.

Along with helping ease the overload in central-level hospitals in the city, the hospital will provide quality health care services at reasonable cost to local patients, he stated.

The official said in the future, the city’s health sector will continue implementing more similar projects to better meet the medical demand of locals. 

Another death reported in Đồng Nai restaurant fire

The death toll from the fire that broke out at a restaurant on Friday in the southern province of Đồng Nai rose to seven after the latest victim died on Sunday.— Photo zing.vn

The death toll from the fire that broke out at a restaurant on Friday in the southern province of Đồng Nai rose to seven after the latest victim died on Sunday.

Nguyễn Văn Dũng, 24, was the only one to be rescued from the fire at the Ruby restaurant in Xuân Hòa Ward, Long Khánh Town on Friday afternoon. However, he died at Đồng Nai General Hospital on Sunday morning, the hospital announced.

The fire allegedly occurred when a group of welders and workers were installing a styrofoam ceiling and soundproof material at the restaurant. The flammable materials caught fire and the blaze spread quickly.

Seven people including the restaurant owner and the welders got trapped in the fire, with six of them dying on the spot. 

Hải Phòng to complete reservoirs to control water shortage

The Trân Châu Reservoir is being built quickly to avoid water shortages in the area. — Photo thoidai.com.vn

The northern port city of Hải Phòng is urgently on working clean water reservoirs in Cát Hải Island District to combat waster shortage.

This year, Cát Bà tourism town in the district was short of water in 34 days and had to buy clean water from other areas.

One reason for the shortage was that after the Đình Vũ-Cát Hải Bridge was completed, tourists going to Cát Bà tourism town increased sharply.

In May this year, the town received 385,000 tourists, an increased by more than 60 per cent compared with the same period last year.

Another factor was the lack of rainfall during the summer.

Chairman of the Hải Phòng People’s Committee Nguyễn Văn Tùng asked the Cát Hải District People’s Committee to speed up its work of completing the Phù Long Reservoir in Phù Long Commune.

The municipal department of agriculture and rural development was requested to complete reservoirs in Xuân Đám and Trân Châu communes.

The reservoirs are expected to open for public use by the beginning of next year.

Other reservoirs which are already in Cát Bà will be widened to store water for the dry season.

The Hải Phòng Water Joint Stock Company will set up a project of upgrading water supply system for the island. One option being considered was taking clean water from Cát Hải District via the Lạch Huyện Port.

Hoàng Trung Cường, deputy chairman of the Cát Hải District People’s Committee, said from June 7 to July 10 this year, the Hải Phòng Water Joint Stock Company transported about 900cu.m of water to Cát Bà Town per day.

This year, Cát Hải District conducted different temporary measures including digging more wells or fixing others, installing a system to treat sea water, and giving education to local residents on saving clean water, especially during dry season.

Cát Bà Island is one of the world network of biosphere reserves, and the biggest tourism site in Hải Phòng port city.

More than 2.5 million tourists visited this year, of whom 608,000 are foreigners. It is forecast that the number of tourists will continue to rise in the coming years.

Unfortunate robbers

On December 7, an anonymous woman was driving her motorbike home to see her mum and dad in Long Điền District of Bà Rịa – Vũng Tàu Province when she was attacked by two robbers.

The robbers, who were riding a motorbike, grabbed her phone and fled.

Thuỷ had important schoolwork on her phone, so the brave girl decided she would have to retrieve it and teach the robbers a lesson.

She chased them and took her chance when the traffic was crowded and the two robbers had to slow down. She rammed them with her motorbike, making them fall on the road.

What the robbers didn’t know was that this particular girl was a master of Vovinam, a Vietnamese martial art. She subdued one of the robbers and asked him to give back her phone. He refused her request, leaving her with no choice but to physically force him to return the phone.

And of course, finally, the police came and took the robbers to their station. Thuỷ found her phone in their bag, together with a number of weapons like knives and handmade slingshots.

Dien Bien Phu battlefield relic in repair

Muong Thanh Bridge, a historical relic site that witnessed the victorious battle of Dien Bien Phu, is gradually deteriorating. As such, the local tourism sector has been upgrading the bridge in preparation for the 65th victory anniversary celebrations next year.

Muong Thanh Bridge spans over Nam Rom River. This historical relic site once  witnessed the monumental victory of Dien Bien Phu in its past. Nowadays, it has become a tourism destination in Dien Bien province. However, over the years, the bridge’s condition has been rapidly deteriorating, badly in need of repair. 

The repair and upgrade of the bridge is projected to be completed by next January. The initial structural design is to be kept intact. 

The upgrade costs nearly 129,000 USD and is part of preparations for celebrating the 65th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu victory on May 7 next year.

Quang Tri builds dyke to prevent saline intrusion in Hieu river

The central province of Quang Tri is building a dyke in Hieu river to prevent saline intrusion and supply water for local fields in Dong Ha city.

The dyke’s construction will cost 500 billion VND (21.4 million USD), funded by Government bonds.

When completed and put into operation in 2020, the dyke will stop saline intrusion and ensure water for 1,300 ha of agricultural land, nearly 200 ha of aquaculture ponds and the daily life of tens of thousands of local residents.

The dyke will also serve transport across the Hieu river.

This is one of the projects approved by the Prime Minister to counter climate change and sea level rise in the 2012-2020 period with a vision to 2050.

At the ceremony to start construction of the dyke on December 22, Chairman of Quang Tri province’s People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chinh underlined the importance of the project and required contractors to ensure the project’s schedule.

Short story contest on women launched

At the press conference 

The art-culture publishing house of Ho Chi Minh City has launched a short story writing contest on modern women and their thoughts about work and gender equality. 

The information was revealed at a press conference in HCM City on December 22. The competition is open to all Vietnamese citizens at home and abroad as well as overseas Vietnamese.

All submissions must be short stories, though there is no specific word limit, and must be unpublished.

The entries are written in Vietnamese and submitted to the address of the art-culture publishing house No.88-90 Ky Con, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City or to the email address truyenduthinxbvhvn@gmail.com.

The contest will present one first prize worth 20 million VND (856 USD), one second prize worth 15 million VND (642 USD), two third prizes each worth 10 million VND (428 USD) and four fourth prizes each worth 5 million VND (214 USD).

The awards ceremony is scheduled to be held on Vietnamese Women’s Day October 20, 2019.

The contest is sponsored by a project from the LiBeratupreis-Frankfurt 2018 that honoured Vietnamese writer Nguyen Ngoc Tu for the German version of her book Canh dong bat tan (Endless Field).

At the press conference, Tu said she will use the award money (around 6,000 EUR) to implement women-related literature projects.

She hoped the contest will receive support from literature lovers and their stories will help share love to all women in society.

Singer Tân Nhàn releases free album to promote traditional music

Singer Tân Nhàn and artist Đình Cương perform together at the launch of the CD. 

Singer Tân Nhàn is giving away 5,000 albums loaded with traditional music for free, and best of all, they are on CDs.

The album Níu Dải Lụa Đào (Holding the Silk Ribbon Tightly) features famous folk genres the chèo (traditional operetta), xẩm (blind baskers’ music), quan họ (love duets) and văn (spiritual singing) genres.

They also include two music videos of văn songs, namely Ngồi Buồn Nhớ Mẹ Ta Xưa (Remembering My Mom) and Cô Đôi Thượng Ngàn (Lady Đôi of Forest Palace).

The CDs will be distributed nationwide for free via the website http://www.tannhan.com/ngoi-sao-nho for anyone interested in traditional music as Nhàn wants to spread the love for traditional music. More free CDs will be offered in case of high demand, Nhàn said during a recent press conference.

“The silk ribbon accompanies áo tứ thân (four-panel traditional costume of Vietnamese women). I named the album this in an attempt to maintain traditional values,” said Nhàn.

Artist Emeritus Đình Cương is famous for chèo. He said helping Nhàn promote traditional music was an honour.

“I was surprised when Nhàn called me and asked to learn to sing chèo songs. A month after the call, she came to my house in the northern province of Thái Bình," said Cương.

“Nhàn expressed her passion and diligence during the studying time. In a short time, she can feel the soul of a song and send emotions to the audience.”

Since 2013, Nhàn has dreamt of releasing an album featuring the original versions of traditional music like chèo and xẩm. However, it’s not easy to perform these kinds of songs. So it took many years for her to learn from artisans to sing in the traditional way. Now she is confident enough to release an album of traditional music.

“Reviving traditional values of music is the trend of the world music,” she said.

“Traditional music helps create identity for the national culture. I hope that when people in the world listen to chèo, xẩm, ca trù (ceremonial singing), nhã nhạc (royal music) and so on, they immediately think of Việt Nam.

“With this project, I want to estimate the audience’s interest in traditional music. If it can attract many people, I believe that more and more artists will invest in traditional music like me, contributing to preserve and promote the traditional art. I think artists have the responsibility for the cultural heritage and for the next generation,” she said.

A year ago, Nhàn made a stir when she released the album Yếm Đào Xuống Phố (Wearing Traditional Costume to Go Downtown), in which she performed chèo mixed with jazz. The album was acclaimed as a combination of contemporary and classical music.

Nhàn admitted she couldn’t do everything she wanted to on the album but has tried her best to promote traditional music. Through her projects, Nhàn wants to inspire other artists and audiences to have passion for the folk arts.

“I will not stop at releasing albums but will continue promoting traditional music in different ways,” she said.

She plans to perform in a concert in February next year featuring traditional music in a combination with symphony orchestra.

Nhàn was born in 1982 in the northern province of Hà Nam. Now she works as lecturer at the Việt Nam National Academy of Music. She won in the category of folk songs at the Morning Star national singing contest in 2005. 

Two Vietnamese universities ranked among world’s 300 most sustainable

The UI GreenMetric World University Ranking lists two Vietnamese universities among the 300 most sustainable universities.

HCM City-based Ton Duc Thang University and the Tra Vinh University in the southern province of the same name are ranked 182nd and 256th, respectively, in the list of 719 most sustainable universities in the world this year.

Last year, Ton Duc Thang University and Tra Vinh University were ranked 245th and 305th, respectively.

The metric, launched in 2010, grades universities on six criteria: their settings and infrastructure, energy efficiency and carbon footprints, waste treatment plants, water usage, transportation systems, and education and research programs.

The ranking, an initiative of the University of Indonesia, aims to draw the attention of university leaders and stakeholders to combating climate change and resource conservation by assessing current conditions and policies of universities.

Vietnam currently has 84 private schools, 60 universities and 24 colleges, with over 13,000 lecturers and 330,000 students. Their students account for 14 percent of the country’s total.